Inner-tube protector.



G. STARKE.

INNER TUBE PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION min ocT.12. Isls.

I g. l Patented Mar.' 2?, 191?.

eater-ins FATENT @F15 eusmvn strait/isn; or New Youn, n". Y.

INNEIEFTUBE PBGTECTOR.

To all wwmt may concern:

15e it known that i. Gns'mve Sinnen, a citizen of the Uniteri States, residing at New York, in the county of Bronx and State oi New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in inner-Tube Protectors, oi which the ioiioivinr is a specification.

This 'invention relates to inner tube protectors 4tor pneumatic tires anfi has for its primary object the provision of a device ot this character which will positively protect the tube against jiuiucture due to Contact ot the tire with Vtoreign objects or penetrating" substances troni. the outside or upon the roadway.

Another object of this invention resides in the j'uovision oi a ilevice ot' this character which iviil ariapt itseliz to the shoe oi' an ordinary tire structure without necessarily any changes in the construction thereof.

A stili further object of `this invention resides in the provision ot an inner tube protector, which, `while serving to resist any tendency of foreign objects Wholly penetrating the shoe anrl entering the tube, will also be of a character which Will not affect the natural buoyancy of the tire or its inherent qualities.

A stili further object otl the invention resides in the provision of' an inner tube protector which will freely adapt itself to the various shocks and jars which are imparted to the tire structure, White maintaining a position at all times between theV shoe and tube which will be necessary to the ofce of the protector as a guard against the penctration of the tube by foreign objects.

Another and essential object of the invcnl to provide a resilient protector formed ot va singie piece. of sheet steel adapted to be inserteri between the shoe and tube and ineens for holding the saine against creeping around the tire and for aiso reventing any undue chatting ot the tube and shoe, vetaiioiving for a slight relativo separation voi the enols of the protector to cause the saine to be tally responsive to heat changes anti thereby renden-xi free for slight contraction anti expansion ot the al.

in the drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like parts inriicate similar parts throughout the several views litigare l.. is a transverse section through a of the invention thereto.

Patented Mar. 27, 1191i t'.

Application. tiled October 12, 1915. Serial No. 55,513-

lfig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the saine illustrating tho means for holding the protector against creeping around. the tire.

Fig. is a plan View of the protector.

Fig'. 4 is a transverse section through the overlapping ends ot the. protector.

i"ig. 5 is a section on the line T-5 o'l" Figa-( is a longitudinal section through the 'overlapping eiuls oi the protector.

In carrying' the invention into practice.. the principal points ot' advaiitages of the invention lie particularly in the simplicity ot' construction ot' the protector; its lightness in weight; its inherent yielili 5 1; |uali ties to permit ot' its being i'ully responsive to all ot therounnon shocks and` jars which are transmitted tothe body of the tire structure while'the wheel is in motion, and these points, with other essentials are jiroiluctive of a device. which when applied to the tire will not in any way a lil objectional weight thereto nor talco therefrom any of its buoyancy or elasticity'. Another and especiai feature in the invention which I am desirous of properly emphasizing is the adaptability o't the device to pneumatic tires ot ordinary construction without necessitatinel changes in the form thereof.

The device consists of a single piece of sheet steel. ot' uniform thickness throughout, and approximately ot the saine uniform width from end to end. The metal is curved in transverse section as shown in Fig. l so as to conform with the, contour of the tire body, in and around the space between the tread portion anrl adjacent sides oi the shoe and inner tube. Therefore the device is said to include a central body portion l and connecting side Walls 2, therlatter being extended to points near the att-aching flanges ot the casing or shoe so as to fully protect thc sides of the inner tube against injury by foreign objects which may penetrate the sides of the shoe. The protector extends around the inner tube tor the full circumference thereof and the main body i, ot the protector cifectually serves to protect the tube against any foreign objects which might penetrate the active tread section of Said shoe or casing. I

in order to revent chafing of tle tube and its casing 1t is preferred that the` protector be iliclosed in a `fabric casing consisting of separate layers ,it canvas 3 and 4 respectivel)I disposed at the opposite'sides ot the protector. rlhese pieces of canvas are brought together' along Hthe longitudinal sides of the protector and they are secured to one another as at 5 in any snit-able well `known manner, such as the stitching shown in Figs. 3 and 5, or they may be cemented together. The protector has one of its ends stepped or offset as at and it overlaps the next adjacent tree end ot the protector in order that the joint betweenv the ends o'f the protector will be flush and the entire inner surface of the protector rendered substantially continuous or without any appreciable interruption. This is necessary in order to prevent injurious pinching of the inner tube. At the overlapping ends of the protector the canvas sheets 3 and et are extended in the forni of extending iiaps which overlap eacli other as shown in Fig.` 6.

With a -view to `pri'iventing creeping of the protector around the inner tube so as to avoid undue friction between the parts, l provide. lugs 9 il which are disposedv along the same longitudinal edge of the protector lait located respectively at the opposite ends thereof. These lugs are thus designed to overlap one another as shown in Fig. l and they are provided with tegistering passages l0 which are adapted to receive the valve stein il which extends in the usual manner from the inner tube. rlhe diameter of each of the passages l0 is slightly greater than the diameter of the valve stern so as to per. mit the protector to respectively contract and expand when subjected to ordinary heat changes. ./.is stated the lugs are disposed only on one side oit the protector and as ally protecting the inner tube against piincture by foreign objects or substances which may accidentally be introduced to the shoe or casing while the wheel is in inotion. The

protector may be expeditiously applied to or removed from the tire as the occasion may demand, and when applied, it is found that it does not add materially to the weight of the tire, nor does :it tend to take from the saine any of its desired yielding properties.

Vfhat is claimed as new is An inner tube protector for pneumatic tires, comprising, a resilient metallic ineinbei', interposed between the shoe and inner tube and provided respectively at the opposite ends with lugs extending from the saine side of the member and extending under the inner tube and overlapping one another and adapted to receive the valve stein, as and tor the purpose specified and co-acting therewith to hohl the protector against creeping, the said opposite side of the protect r, laterally of the lugs, being free for flexing movements.

In testimony whereof I, ailier my ture., in presence of two witnesses.

` GUSTAVE STARKE. 'Witnesses ANNA V. Dormi, Gro. A. Brenn. 

